Stapler



0t..24,1939f s. SVENSON 2,116,937

S TAPLER Filed Oct. 12, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet l im i /i 7y F l IIE- l INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Oct. 24, 1939. 5 SVENSON 2,176,937

STAPLER Filed Oct. l2, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOENEY.

o ct. 24, 1939. s, SVENSON 2,176,997

STAPLER Filed OCT.. l2, 1936 45 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. fz/e/v .5l/ense@ Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNETED STATES PATENT 'QFFICE 4 Claims.

My invention relates to stapling machines primarily of the type in which sections are severed from a continuous coil of wire and are formed and inserted into a plurality of sheets to be stapled together and are then crimped in position. A representative stapler of this type is shown in Patent No. 1,897,625.

An object of my invention is in general to improve stapling machines. v

lAnother object of my invention is to facilitate the ease of operation of a stapling machine.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a stapling machine in which the reels of stapling wire are readily changed.

AV further object of my invention is to provide an improved Wire clutching means.

An additional object of my invention is to provide an improved wire-severing means.

A still further-object of my invention is to pro- 20 vide improved Wire threading means.

The foregoing and other objects of my invention are .attained in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with many parts in cross-section on a vertical, longitudinal plane, of an improved stapler in accordance with my in- Vention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l but showing the stapler in a different position of operation;

Fig. Sis a botto-m plan view of the stapler shown in Fig. l ;V

Fig, 4 is a cross-section the planes of which are indicated by the lines 4A4.of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section the planes of which are indicated by the lines 5-5of Fig. l;

vFig. 6 is a cross-section the principal plane of which is indicated by the line 6--6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. '7 isa cross-section of an improved form of wire clutch, the plane of section being indicated by the'line 'l-l of Fig. 8;

Fig. 8 is a cross-,section the plane of which is indicatedV by the line 8-.8 of Fig. 7;

' Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a part of a stapler, showing an improved form of wire reel mounted fifa thereon,vthe reel being generally illustrated in cross-section the plane of which is vertical and central.V

" kIn its preferred form,'the improved stapler of myinventionincludes an internally discharging wire reel pivotally mounted on the stapler and feeding wire through a pair of improved wire clutches both of which, together with the stapling head, can be held in a loading position, the Wire then passing adjacent a wire cutter which is separate from the stapling hammer, so that the wire severing operation transpires prior tothe forming operation-all to the general purpose of improving materially the ease of operation, facility of loading, and quality of staple provided by the machine.

As shown in Figs. l to 8 inclusive, the stapler includes a base t, which preferably is an inverted cup-like metal stamping, having supporting buttons 'l aixed thereto. The base is formed with a pair oi upstanding ears 8 through which a pivot l pin 9 passes. Pivotally mounted on the pivot pin 9 is a stapling head Il, normally retained in an upper position by a coil spring I2 one end of which engages a downturned lug I3 projecting from the base 6, and the other end of which engages a lever lll forming part of the stapling head l l and when in upper position contacting the base 6 to provide a stop.

Pivotally mounted on the stapling head Il is an actuating lever I6 having a pair of ears I'l encompassing a pivot pin i8 which passes through projections I9 forming part of the stapling head. A hand button 2l at the extremity of the lever I6 provides a convenient means 'for actuation of the lever, which is ordinarily urged into uppermost position by a relatively powerful coil spring 22 at its lower end resting on a bridge 23 spanning the stapler head Il and at its upper end abutting against a button 24 extending from the lever I6.

On the rearward portion of the stapling head ll is mounted a removable casing 28 containing a spool of staple wire which extends from the casing through a Wire clutch 29 fast on the stapling head il. The wire clutch is of a sort to permit passage of the wire in one direction but to prevent retrograde movement of the wire.

A convenient form of clutch is shown in detail in Figs. 7 and 8. A pair of side plates 3l and 32 are held a convenient distance apart by an upper space block 33 and a lower space plate 34. Rivets 36, suitably spaced, hold the plate in proper position. The plate 34 is separated from the block 33 suiciently to provide a relatively straight through channel 31 which adjacent its end is enlarged to provide a chamber 38 Within which a jamming roller 39 is reciprocable` The roller is carried on an axle 4| passing through clearance apertures 42 in the plates 3l and 32, and received between the forked ends 43 of the parallel levers 44 upstanding from an actuating arm 46. A pivot pin 4l, passing through the plates 3l and 32 and the space plate 34 as well as through the levers 44, provides a pivotal mounting, so that when the arm 46 is moved upwardly against the urgency of a coil spring 48 interposed between the arm and the plates 3| and 32, the jamming roller 39 is moved to a lower part of the chamber 38, freeing the staple wire for forward movement. When the lever 46 is under the influence of the spring 48 alone, it assumes a lower position wherein the roller 39 is in a higher part of the chamber 38 and is in contact with the staple wire 5|. In such position, movement of the staple Wire to the right in Fig. 7 rotates the roller 39 to the right and into a lower part of the chamber 38, freeing the staple wire 5| for forward movement; Whereas retrograde movement, or movement towards the left in Fig. 7, rolls the roller 39 to a shallower part of the chamber 38 and jams the staple wire 5| against the space block 33, preventing any retrograde movement thereof.

The clutch 29, mounted on the stapling head Il, therefore permits forward movement of the staple wire 5| but prevents any retrograde movement thereof. A similar clutch 5t is mounted on a reclprocable slide 51, designed for rectilinear translation along the bottom of the stapling head l. The slide 51 is reciprocated through the medium of a bell crank 58, one' arm 59 of which engages a pin 5l on the slide 51, and the other rm 62 of which is engaged` by a foot 63 on a vertical slide 54 which is depressed by depressing movement of the button 2i and the lever l5. Thus,Y when the button 2l is depressed, the slide 64 is lowered, the bell crank 58 is rotated clockwise as seen in Fig. l, and the slide 51 is translated toward the left in that ligure.

Movement of the slide 51 toward the left causes the clutch 55 to ride freely over the staple wire 5| which is prevented from retrogressing by the clutch 29. When the button 2| is released and the lever i5 is urged upwardly by the spring 22, the clutch 51 engages the staple wire 5l, the clutch 29 is free to permit forward movement of such wire, and a suitable length of wire is withdrawn from the spool within the casing 28 by the forward movement, or movement toward the right in Fig. 1, of the slide 51.

After a plurality of such operations, the `staple wire 5i is fed through an arcuate guide 1I to overlie an anvil 12 formed on the forward part of the slide 51 and to underlie a pair of forming dies 13 and 14 at the lower terminus of the slide 64.

In accordance with my invention, I provide means separate from` the dies 13 and 14, for severing a predetermined length of wire from the staple wire 5i to provide a blank wire from which a staple can be made. In the usual stapling machine, the act of severing the wire is concurrent with the initial stages of staple formation, and since the wire is often difficult to cut, this places an excessively high load on the stapling mechanism and makes it dicult to operate during a small partof the operating cycle. I therefore provide a separate cutter, generally designated 8i, which comprises a at plate mounted on a pivot 82 projecting from the stapler head Il. The lower end of the cutter 8| is formed to provide a cutting edge 83 disposed adjacent the terminus of the wire guide 1| and cooperating with a shearing plate 84 on the stapling head Il.

To actuate the plate 8| by rotating it 'around the pivot pin 82, I provide a pin 86 on the slide 64 which engages a continuous cam slot 81' formed in the plate 8|, so that, as the slide 64-is depressed due to depression ofthe lever I6, the pin 86 first rotates the plate 8| clockwise as seen by. reducing materially the load on the operating lever I6 and facilitating greatly the ease of operation of the structure.

Ihe subsequent formation of the staple which occurs during further descending movement of the dies 13 and 14 and after a wire blank is severed by the edge 83, is in accordance with standard practice and is not described, therefore, in detail.

In order to facilitate the loading of the stapling machine when the wire in one wire reel is eX- hausted andit is necessary to utilize another reel, the casing 28 is changed and a subsequent staple wire 5| must'be threaded through the clutches 29 and 56 successively. This has heretofore been accomplished by the use of auxiliary tools, such as tweezers and the like, and is a difficult, time-consuming and annoying operation. I preferably provide means for holding the structure in a position so that the clutches 29 and 56 are virtually in abutting alignment and the stapling wire 5| can be fed therethrough from one to the other without possibility of intermediate buckling and without the necessity of utilizing any auxiliary tools. For this purpose I mount on the pivot pin 9 a pair of ears 9i projecting from a latch lever 92 which preferably is a metal stamping having a thumb piece 93 at one end and upstruck and provided with a hook 94 at the other end. The latch lever 92 passes through a suitable aperture 96 in the base S Aand can conveniently be provided with an auxiliary thumb piece 91 passing through an aperture 98 in the base. 92 is urged into inactive position, as shown in Fig. l, by a-leaf spring 99 bearing against the lower face of the base 6 and held to the latch alli Ordinarily, the latch lever j lever by a rivet lill which likewise holds the auxiliary thumb piece 91 in place.

To co-operate with the hook 94, the slide 51 is preferably formed withan undercut depression 92 therein, so that, when the lever 6 is depressed into lowermost location, the thumb piece 9'3 can be lowered or the thumb piece 91 can be depressed, lifting the hook 94 to enter into the depression |92. When the lever i8 is then released, the urgency of the spring 22Y causes the slide 51 to translate toward the right, as seen in Fig. 2, and tightly to engage the hook 94, so thatfurther upward movement of the lever It is Aprecluded. and so that the clutches 29 and 56are held in `aligned, virtually abutting relationship, with the passage.

- While the staple wire can then be threaded into one Vend of the passage 3l in the rearmost clutch 29'and then forwardly over the rollers 39 in the successive clutches, I prefer to facilitate the operchannel 31 in each forming almost a continuous. t

ation further by mechanically releasing the 'rollers 39. This is preferably effected by a Yprojection therethrough for the entering staple wire. As soon as the wire has been passed by the operators hand completely through the clutches 29 and 56, the lever I6 is again depressed slightly so that the hook 94 can disengage itself from the depression |62 under the urgency of the leaf spring 63, thereby simultaneously releasing the clutches 29 and 56, respectively, to assume their wire-engaging position and permitting the springs 22 to force the arm I6 into its uppermost position. The new staple wire is then in position for further feeding, and a plurality of successive operations of the linger button 2| is effective to continue feeding the new wire into the machine. This operation is effected entirely without the use of auxiliary tools, and, since the two clutches 29 and 56 are both mechanically released and held in threading position, the new staple wire can quite readily be inserted therein by a simple maneuver of the operators fingers.

In order further to facilitate the ease of loading the stapler, and also to provide an increased capacity of staple wire and to prevent undue kinking or tangling of the staple wire, I provide, as shown in Fig. 9, a special improved mounting for the wire reel. In this modification, the pivot pin I8 carries a pair of ears |2| upstanding from a bracket |22 which is enlarged to provide a base plate |23 for a spool casing and which in its lowermost position rests on brackets |24 projecting from the rear of the stapling head I I. Mounted on the base |23 is a central spindle |26, having an enlarged hub |21 on the base thereof, for guiding and receiving a central sleeve |28 forming part of a spool jacket |29. This preferably is of light metal and includes a cylindrical wall |3I and an annular bottom wall |32 to provide an enclosure for a plurality of wire coils |33 which are so wound that they are spaced from the tube |28 and are withdrawn from the interior surface, as indicated* in Fig. 9. Since the wire 5| is withdrawn from the interior surface, it comes away freely from the layers adjacent and does not tend to pull into the adjacent layers and to tighten or kink. Because of the freedom from tightening and kinking, it is possible to provide at least double the amount of staple wire in a single spool than has heretofore been deemed feasible. The spool is freely rotatable on the spindle |26, so that thewire 5| can be fed through an aperture |4I in the base |23, being either threaded therethrough or brought in from the side through a communicating slot |42. A protection for the spool is provided by an outer cup-like casing |43, held in abutment with the base |23 by a tap nut |44 threaded onto the spindle I 26. Whenever it is necessary to renew the spool, the tap nut |44 is removed, the casing |43 is withdrawn, and the empty spool is lifted from the spindle |26. A

fresh spool is dropped over the spindle |26, the wire is threaded through the aperture |4I, the casing |43 and the tap nut |44 are replaced, and the wire 5| is ready for threading into the clutches 25 and 56 as previously described.

To make somewhat easier the movement of the wire from the aperture |4| into the clutch 26, I preferably move the assembled spool and casing about the pivot pin I8. The base |23 is readily lifted, and as it is lifted the member |22 passes over a button |5| struck up in one of the side plates of the stapling head I I and is held frictonally above the button I5I so that the bottom of the base |23 can readily be seen and so that the wire 5| can readily be withdrawn through the aperture |44 and threaded into the rearmost clutch 29. After the wire has been so threaded, the base |23 is pushed downwardly over the frictional retaining button |5| and drops gravitally into place on the bracket |24.

In accordance with my invention, therefore, I have provided an improved stapling machine ln which the staple wire is removed from the inside of a reel rather than from the outside thereof in which a greater quantity of staple wire is provided; in which changing of the reels of wire is greatly facilitated; in which threading of the Wire into the stapling machine is made considerably easier and can be accomplished without the use of auxiliary tools, since the stapling head is latched in a threading position; and in which the severing of a predetermined length of wire to provide a staple is effected by a separate cutter so that a suddenly increased load on the actuating lever is obviated and the cutting strain is distributed over a longer period of time thereby greatly facilitating the stapling operation. At the same time, the standard construction of the stapler has not been materially interfered with or altered, so that manufacturing costs are not materially changed and so that the general principle of the machine is maintained.

I claim:

l. A stapling machine comprising a pair of wire-gripping clutches, means for moving said clutches relative to each other between an adjacent position and a remote position, a spring, and means including a manually operable latch for holding said clutches in adjacent position against the urgency of said spring.

2. A stapling machine comprising a stapling head, a wire-gripping clutch on said head, a second wire-gripping clutch on said head, a spring, means for moving said second clutch against the urgency of said spring into a position in approximate abutment with said first clutch, and means for latching said second clutch in said position.

3. A machine comprising a wire-gripping clutch including a pair of side plates, a space block and a space plate interposed therebetween to provide intermediate walls dening a channel having an enlarged chamber, the walls of said chamber and said channel formed by said space plate merging substantially at right angles, a jamming roller in said chamber, and a spring-pressed releasing lever pivotally mounted upon said side plates and engaging said roller.

4. A stapling machine comprising a stapling head, a wire-feeding clutch, a bracket for supporting a coil of stapling wire, and means for pivotally mounting said bracket upon said head for bodily movement with respect thereto in the direction of a wire extending between said clutch and said coil and away from said wirefeeding clutch.

SVEN SVENSON. 

